The Psychic and the Sorcerer
by MerlinPsych
Summary: Merlin gets fed up with his destiny in Camelot, so he uses his magic to run away to 21st century Santa Barbara, where he befriends a certain psychic detective with a love of pineapple. While Shawn must constantly pretend to be psychic, Merlin must hide his magic or face certain death. Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Merlin or Psych. Thanks for reading! Please review!
1. Chapter 1- Fed up with Destiny

**Dragon: In a land of myth...**  
**Shawn: And a time of pineapples!**  
**Dragon: The destiny of a great land...**  
**Shawn: Two great lands!**  
**Dragon: Rests on the shoulders of a young man...**  
**Merlin: Who's a sorcerer!**  
**Shawn: And there's a psychic too!**  
**Dragon: His name... **  
**Merlin: MERLIN!**  
**Shawn: SHAWN!**  
**Gus: CNTRL ALT DELETE!**  
**Merlin and Dragon:...?**

**Hi, it's MerlinPsych! Thank you so much for reading this! This first chapter is a little weird, I'm sorry. I needed an excuse to send Merlin to meet up with Shawn. No Psych until the third chapter, really... **

Merlin cringed as Arthur came towards him with a glare obvious on his face, "Merlin! Where have you been?! You haven't done any of your chores!"

_Merlin. _A voice boomed in his head, making him instinctively hold his oversized ears. It was the dragon. Again.

"Merlin! Listen!" cried Arthur, out loud, "What is WRONG with you today?! You're such an IDIOT!" Arthur punched him in the shoulder, hard.

Merlin shook his head, rubbing his shoulder, briefly confused by the mix of verbal and telepathic communication. "OW!"

"WELL?!" Arthur said, impatiently.

"I uh… I've been… in the tavern." Merlin muttered, annoyed that he couldn't think up a better excuse for his lack of work while he lay with an enormous headache trying to ignore the Great Dragon. He hadn't shut up for weeks, and had been quite a jerk as of late, telling him he was a failure for letting Mordred survive and for telling Arthur that there was "No place for magic in Camelot." Merlin had had his reasons for this, but even without the dragon's accusations, it was tearing him apart…

"AGAIN?!" Arthur shouted, "We really have to get you over this drinking problem!"

"It's not actually that," Merlin said quickly, "I've just been kind of sick, that's all. That and the fact that for the umpteenth time, my girlfriend has been taken out of the picture with a death sentence…" Merlin _was_ truly annoyed and upset that Sefa, who had seemed so nice, was just another traitor.

"Why didn't you _tell _me?" Arthur asked more quietly, but with an irritated edge to his voice, and Merlin flinched, imaging those same words being said if he were ever to tell Arthur the real truth. Of course, in that situation, he would be so much angrier… and Merlin would soon be killed anyways.

"I was afraid you would be upset… like now." Merlin was aware that it was a lame excuse, but Arthur wasn't the brightest, and at least this excuse didn't make him sound like a drunk with bladder problems.

_MERLIN! GET OUT HERE! IT'S IMPORTANT! _Came the dragon's telepathic voice.

_I'm kind of BUSY, _Merlin thought back, angrily, _and you seem to forget that I'M the dragonlord and not YOU._

"Well, that's still no excuse!" Arthur shouted, obviously feeling like he'd been too sympathetic previously, "If you'd only come to work, I could have told you that we have to leave Camelot again-"

_MERLIN!_

"Merlin! LISTEN to me! This is important!"

"Merlin!" cried Gaius, entering the room, "You forgot to clean the leech tank!

"MERLIN! We have to get going it's-"

_MERLIN! Get out here NOW!_

"MERLIN! The leeches-"

"Merlin, we have to save-"

_MERLIN!_

"MERLIN!"

"MERLIN!"

"STOP!" Merlin screamed, "LEAVE ME ALONE! ALL OF YOU!" He bolted down the corridors and out of the castle, with his headache even worse than before. When he wasn't doing chores for Arthur, he was doing chores for Gaius, or following his destiny, or saving Arthur from some random threat, or watching as someone else he loved died, or betrayed him… It was too much! Too much…

"MERLIN! I AM YOUR MASTER AND I ORDER YOU TO TELL ME WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON AND GET BACK HERE OR SO HELP ME I WILL PUT YOU IN THE STOCKS AND-"

Merlin put a quick silence spell in place.

It couldn't silence the dragon.

_Oh, good. Come on, it's about Aithusa! She- she- she's run away!_

_I already KNEW that! She's joined Morgana! _

_WHAT?! How could you let this HAPPEN?! NO WONDER SHE'S DESTROYING EALDOR!_

_NO! SHE CAN'T BE! And how is this MY fault?! YOU were the one watching her!_

_BUT YOU'RE A DRAGONLORD! YOU COULD HAVE STOPPED HER!_

_I didn't know!_

_YOU ARE A FAILURE AS A DRAGONLORD, A SORCEROR, AND A PERSON! AITHUSA'S GONE EVIL, ARTHUR'S ALWAYS NEARLY GETTING KILLED, MORDRED IS ALIVE AND IN CAMELOT, YOU SPOKE OUT AGAINST MGIC, YOU'VE LET HUNDREDS OF TRAITORS INTO CAMELOT, AND YOU CAN'T EVEN HOLD DOWN A GIRLFRIEND WITHOUT HER GETTING KILLED, BEING EVIL, OR BOTH! I SHOULD JUST TAKE AWAY YOUR MAGIC NOW!_

_I WISH YOU WOULD! I HATE MY DESTINY! I HATE CAMELOT! I HATE YOU!_

_YOUNG WARLOCK, YOU WOULD BE DEAD IF IT WEREN'T FOR-_

In his distress, Merlin let go of the silence spell.

"MERLIN!" Arthur's voice roared from behind him.

Something heavy hit the side of his head with a loud clang, and he fell to the ground. "ARTHUR!" He shouted, picking up a metal helmet, "What was THAT for?!"

"Merlin!" cried Gwaine, racing towards him, "I'm so sorry! I just got the news!"

"What news?!" Arthur yelled impatiently.

"His mother was just killed… by Morgana and a white dragon."

Everyone went silent. Merlin was unable to help it; he broke down and started crying.

"Oh. I-I'm sorry, Merlin." Arthur said quietly. He must have been, he didn't even call Merlin a girl.

"I'm so sick of it- of all of it!" He gasped, "I can't take much more of this!"

"Of what?" asked Arthur, confused, as Gaius sympathetically shook his head.

_Your fault…. _Kilgarrah thought.

_You know what- Forget all this! I'm fed up! I'm out of here! _

_You can't do that. _Kilgarrah thought calmly.

_Watch me!_

Merlin sprinted away from the crowd, who let him go, off into the forest. Once he was sufficiently far away from the others he cried out the only spell he knew could free him from all this- "Oreo!"

His eyes glowed gold and he disappeared.

_NO! _Kilgarrah roared, _MERLIN! COME BACK!_

**And there's my "Oreo" spell! :) I think you'll see them in many of my fics, especially crossovers. Please review and tell me what you think. Is it good? Is it interesting? Is it funny? Is it annoying? Is it lame? (I hope not... :( (: ) Thanks again! Don't be a gooey chocolate chip cookie! **


	2. Chapter 2- Another World, Another Rescue

(Merlin theme followed by Psych theme) (I know, that clashes...)

Merlin sat up in a strange new world. The grass was short and tame. The ocean danced up to meet the docks full of odd metal boats. The buildings were of an alien architecture. The air was less pure and he coughed as an odd hunk of metal raced by him with people inside of it as it moved across on a hot black surface. The people walking down the path he sat on gave him odd looks, for the fashion in this place was very different, with jeans and t-shirts instead of gowns, tunics, and armor. Not a single person wore a neckerchief, although, to be honest, even where he was from, nobody could rock a neckerchief like Merlin.

It was clear that the spell he'd used had taken him to a faraway land in the future, for he had never seen such inventions as he saw there. He stood up and slowly turned around, taking in the landscape. He had no clue where he was or where to go.

This had been perhaps his worst idea yet.

Merlin wiped his eyes, took a deep, shuddering breath, and began to walk. He didn't know where to, all that mattered was that he moved somewhere, like he actually had a purpose. His life had never not been held along a clear path of destiny before.

He was relieved to notice, that although some words were unidentifiable, the citizens of this village spoke English. Communication would certainly be important in this new world.

Merlin walked farther and farther, until he reached a white wooden bench by the beach that was in decent enough isolation for a spot to think. Just as he was about to sit, however, a man flew by him chasing a scared looking little girl who looked about eight or nine years old with a knife. Merlin cried out in alarm and jumped to his feet, running after them.

He had to save this girl. Even as he ran, he could practically hear Arthur yelling that he was a crazy idiot before following him himself, but he couldn't just stand by and watch when he had the power to stop this man from killing her.

When he caught up, the man turned towards him and glared, raising the knife menacingly. The girl let out a squeak of terror, ginger pigtails flopping over her shoulder as she turned and hid her wide blue eyes.

Merlin lifted his hand calmly, palm facing out and his cobalt eyes turned gold as a huge wave of magic sent the man flying backwards away from the girl. Merlin understood the fear the Pendragons had towards magic in that moment. It was effortless, really, to send a man twice his size flying.

The girl turned to him in surprise and terror, mouth agape.

"RUN!" Merlin cried, grabbing her hand and sprinting away from the man.

The little girl pulled a strange device out of her pocket and touched some spots on it, which produced little beeping sounds. She raised it to her ear.

"_911, what is your emergency?" _came a voice from inside the device.

Merlin gave it a puzzled look, but figured that now wasn't the time for questions.

"Hello? I'm Penny Lee, and… this guy was chasing me with a knife, and- I-I think he was going to kill me!" The girl whimpered, although seemingly unfazed by the fact that the device was speaking to her.

"_Ok," _the device responded, _"Where are you?"_

"Santa Barbara…" the girl responded, slowly.

So that's where Merlin's spell had taken him.

"_Where in Santa Barbara?" _the device asked.

How did it not know? It was in Penny's hands!

"By the harbor and this little coffee shop it-"

_"Is the man with the knife pursuing you?"_

"No… He was, but then this weirdly dressed guy used magic to throw him backwards and I think the man was knocked out…"

Merlin flinched and tried to stop her from giving away his secret, but it was too late. _My execution approaches… _he thought in despair.

_"I doubt he used magic, sweetie," _the device laughed,_ "I know the coffee shop. Stop there, lay low, and we'll be there in a few minutes."_

Relieved as he was, why was it that nobody, not even odd little devices, believed he could have magic? And who was "we"?

Merlin and Penny stopped at the "coffee" shop. Merlin had never heard of "coffee" before, but he supposed it was irrelevant.

The two took a seat at the bar. The coffee shop was nearly empty. They were both panting heavily from their run.

"Why," Merlin gasped, "Did you give me away? I saved your life!"

"What do you mean," Penny asked, "Give you away?"

"I mean about my-" he looked quickly about to make sure nobody was listening and dropped his voice to a whisper, "My _magic._"

"Oh," she said, laughing, "That? Cool trick! Nobody's gonna believe me though…"

"Is it really so hard to believe that I could have magic?!" he gasped in exasperation.

"It's not you specifically, nobody believes in magic anymore!" she paused and thought, "Except five-year olds…"

He shook his head with disbelief. "Th-they don't… believe?! H-how?" then a beautiful thought came to him. "But-then, magic isn't illegal here?!"

"How could it be, when nobody believes it exists?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"W-whoah. That's… so- so weird! Amazing and wonderful yes- but- weird!" Merlin could hardly believe it. No, he couldn't believe it at all.

Penny looked at him suspiciously. "Where _is_ magic illegal? And why are you dressed like that? Where are you from, anyways?!"

"I-uh…" Merlin wasn't sure about giving himself away, but if she already knew… "It's kind of hard to believe…"

"Like being saved by a guy in a neckerchief who uses magic?" Penny pointed out.

He winced. "A valid point. Don't tell anyone, okay? I'm… well… I used a spell that allows you to travel through space and time to get here…"

"OOH!" she cried, "A TIME travel spell?! Did you meet dinosaurs?!"

A woman at a nearby table chuckled, envisioning him telling her a story.

Merlin winced, "Quiet down! And, no. I have never met a dinosaur," he paused, thoughtfully, "I've met dragons though."

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" she cried, waving her hands about with fan girl-like excitement, "Tell me!"

"Well, I'm from the past… from the kingdom of Camelot," he began, "I live in the castle where I'm the servant of King Arthur-"

The girl flipped one of her pigtails back over her shoulder. "Camelot… Arthur… Why does that sound familiar? Oh, um, what's your name?"

"I'm Merlin-" he said, but was quickly cut off.

"Oh WOW!" Penny shouted, "I know you, you're that old sorcerer with the white beard!"

Merlin jumped. "HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT DRAGOON THE GREAT?!"

Penny looked puzzled. "Huh?"

But then suddenly the room seemed to fill with a loud, obnoxious noise.

"The police sirens," Penny breathed, "Listen Merlin, I may be just a kid, but you're not from here, and you were looking at my phone like you had no clue what it was, so maybe I should do the talking!"

Merlin gave her a bewildered look, "What's a phone? And what are police?"

She held up the device, rolling her eyes. "_This_ is a phone. You call people who also have phones and talk to them on it. And _police_ are people who protect us when the law is broken. You really are clueless, aren't you?"

"They don't have things like that where I'm from," Merlin murmured sheepishly. "Penny, please don't tell anyone about where I'm from, I don't think they'll react too well and-"

"Don't you worry," Penny snorted, "I know my time. I'll handle the police. You just watch the people around you and try not to be_ too_ obvious, okay?"

Merlin gave her an alarmed look. "But what if I-"

The door burst open. "SBPD!"

Penny winked and got up to walk towards the crowd of blue clad people.


	3. Chapter 3- That White-Bearded Guy

Shawn smiled. "Now this should be interesting. Magic? AWESOME!"

"You know dat's right!" Gus said with a grin, flicking his nose with his thumb in a manner he obviously thought to be cool.

Suddenly, the man in front of them whirled around. "SPENCER! What are you doing here?!"

"Your job, Lassie," Shawn replied nonchalantly, "As always."

"You-you! You can't be here! You were never hired as consultants on this case!" Lassiter spat.

"Whaaaat?" Shawn said innocently, "There was a case here? Dude, I was simply following a vision that told us to get some coffee!"

Gus nodded. "Don't just assume we're crashing this case!"

Shawn snorted. "Ridiculous."

"Hey Jules!" Shawn greeted his girlfriend as she approached them through the crowd.

"Shawn!" she cried, "It's great that you're here! Carlton was just telling me he had no clue how to start investigating with such nonsense!"

"O'Hara! Whose side are you on?!" Lassie whined.

"Seriously Carlton?" Juliet sighed, "Let them in on this case."

"Fine." He spat, "We have more important things to do anyways!"

Shawn and Gus did a fist bump. "Whaaat!" Gus cried, "We got a case!"

They began doing a happy dance.

"Stop it!" Lassiter cried, "That's so unprofessional! You guys!"

Buzz walked up. "Umm… Lassiter, Penny's ready to give a statement…"

Lassiter glared back at Shawn and Gus. "Just stay out of the way," he growled and stormed off with Juliet hurrying off behind him.

Shawn knew that approaching Penny at the moment for questioning was out of the question, so he and Gus set off in search of other sources for his "psychic" information. He scanned the coffee shop with his eyes, but this wasn't the scene of the crime, so it was hard to find any clues, except… there was a young man in his twenties sitting awkwardly in the corner, looking at his hands and trembling. He looked… different. It was instantly recognizable.

He had dark brown hair, cobalt eyes that appeared stormy with apprehension, and oversized ears that stuck out like an elf's. He wore a blue tunic, _(What? Who even wears those these days?!) _brown pants, a brown jacket made of some leathery material and a red neckerchief.

Shawn was immediately interested, and he knew that there had to be a connection to the case, especially when he saw the young man send Penny several frantic looks.

"Hey," Shawn said, "Gus," and waved him over to talk to the man.

When the two approached him, he jumped with alarm like a startled rabbit.

Gus shot Shawn a look.

"Hello, I am Shawn Spencer and this is my partner, Hocus Pocus." Shawn began.

Gus wiggled his fingers in a manner he believed to look "magic-y."

The man forced a weak smile, but it was obvious that he didn't get it. "I'm Merlin," he said in an adorable accent which was British with a hint of Irish. He extended a hand politely.

Shawn and Gus cracked up. "Oh," Gus laughed, "I get it! Like Merlin the sorcerer! Good one!"

"Merlin" looked absolutely horrified and took a defensive step backwards.

Shawn, not to be discouraged, extended a fist to give "Merlin" a fist bump and "Merlin" cringed, bracing himself as if afraid of being stricken.

Shawn dropped his hand and gave him a puzzled look. "You're a weird dude."

"Merlin" gave Penny, who was across the room, a desperate and terrified look, seemingly unsure of what to do.

Gus gave him an odd look and bent over to whisper in Shawn's ear. "Do you think he's alright in the head?"

Shawn shrugged and whispered back, "He's the only lead I've found."

Shaking himself off, Shawn turned to "Merlin" again. "So, 'Merlin', how are you involved in this case here?"

"I… uh…" "Merlin" blushed, "You guys are… police, right?"

Gus face-palmed.

"Yes," Shawn replied, undeterred, "I am the head psychic for the SBPD-"

"Merlin" leapt up and stared at him in alarm, eyes wide. "How can you trust a secret like _that _with a stranger like _me_?! You really need to be more careful or you'll end up on the _chopping block_! You-"

Shawn jumped back, hands thrown up in surrender. "Whoa, dude! What secret, and what do you mean 'chopping block?'"

"Merlin" looked back and forth quickly and walked off to the area back around the corner by the restrooms, beckoning Shawn over.

Shawn shrugged at Gus. "You keep investigating the scene, I'll talk to him."

Gus nodded, but replied seriously, "Be careful, Shawn, that guy's crazy or something!"

Shawn nodded back. "I've got this." Then, he walked over to "Merlin."

"Okay, what's up?" Shawn asked.

"Merlin" smiled a strained little smile. "It's okay, Shawn. You got lucky. You slipped up, yes, but I won't tell anyone. I promise, your secret's safe with me. Just be more careful."

"What _secret?!_" Shawn cried in exasperation.

"Merlin" sighed. "It's okay; you don't have to hide your powers from me! I understand- look!"

"Merlin" extended a hand towards Shawn seriously.

"What are you d-" Shawn began to ask, and then he froze. "OH MY GOD!"

"Merlin's" eyes had turned from cobalt to a liquid gold, and now a small flame sat flickering in his palm.

"You-You…" Shawn whispered, and then in amazement, "You used magic! How did you DO that?!"

"Merlin" frowned, "You should know, you just told me you use it yourself!"

Suddenly, Shawn understood, and quickly made to cover up his story. "I said I was _psychic_ not _magic!_"

"Still," "Merlin" said softly, "The two are closely linked and dangerous to have."

Shawn stared at "Merlin's" hand, still holding the flame. He suddenly felt very ridiculous, trying to pass off his hyper-observant talents as psychic powers while this guy had actual power… and power that made fire! How cool was that?! But still, cool as it was, it was also suspicious…

"Who are you really?" Shawn asked darkly.

The younger man looked taken aback. "I told you, I'm Merlin."

Shawn's eyes grew wide, making the connection. "Wait a minute… You _weren't _kidding then? That's _actually_ your name?!"

Merlin nodded, slowly. "Yes, of course…"

Shawn smiled with amazement. "Then- then… If you're actually Merlin, and you actually have magic…" He looked at him, "Dude, are you actually _the_ Merlin or were your parents just trying to be really ironic?"

Merlin looked confused. "I don't quite understand what you mean by _the_ Merlin, but I… I'm not exactly from your time so I suppose that might be possible…"

Shawn pumped his fist in the air. "YES! I just met the _actual_ Merlin, and he doesn't even have a white beard!"

"Okay," Merlin said quickly, and nervously, "Question! How does everyone know my name and how do they know I'm a sorcerer and _how_ do they know about Dragoon the Great?!"

Shawn frowned. "Dragoon the Great?"

Merlin sighed, "That's the name I use when I go undercover using an aging spell- you know, white bearded guy?"

Shawn laughed, "Merlin, everybody knows your name because you're that famous wizard guy from Arthurian legend! You-"

"WHAT?!" Merlin cried, "Arthurian legend? You mean as in legends about Arthur Pendragon?!"

Shawn frowned, "I don't know…King Arthur! You know, sword in the stone and all that…"

Merlin looked suddenly both really excited and truly terrified. "I put Arthur's sword, Excalibur in a stone…"

Shawn jumped up and down in excitement. "DUDE! You're him! I met somebody famous!" Shawn pulled out a piece of paper. "Autograph? Please?"

Merlin knocked the paper out of his hand. "Shawn, this is serious. And please quiet down. Neither one of us needs to be executed for using magic right now!"

Shawn looked puzzled. "Executed? Whatever for? We don't _execute_ people for using magic!" Then, upon further thought. "Well… actually, not a lot of people _have_ magic. And upon further thought, they might dissect you. But at least that's in the name of science, eh?"

Merlin face-palmed. "Shawn, this is a really big deal. I just arrived in your time and I have no clue what's going on! You have to help me-" His eyes filled with tears which he quickly wiped away with his sleeve. "I-I-I'm really scared. This was a bad idea, a really bad idea. The dragon was right-I'm a FAILURE!" Merlin gave up on wiping his eyes and just let the tears flow.

"Merlin…" Shawn said slowly, deciding that now was not the time to ask about said dragon, "I really would like to help you… Can you just give me some more information? I need to know what the situation is or I cannot help."

Merlin sighed. "You're a psychic; surely you already know some of it?"

Shawn frowned, and began searching for clues. He noticed Merlin's hands and where he had muscles. Well, if he was from medieval times… He put his hands to his head in psychic position. "You're a servant. You sometimes fight with a sword, but, pardon my saying so, you aren't very good."

Merlin looked surprised and nodded. "Yeah! That's right!"

Shawn thought for a moment, back to when Merlin had flinched when he'd tried to give him a fist bump. He clenched his eyes shut as if receiving a sign, "Someone bullies you and sometimes hits you… Perhaps your master?"

Merlin let out a little laugh, "Yeah, sort of…"

Then, thinking back to their earlier conversation, Shawn took a step back and moved his hand dramatically along the wall, then laid his hand across his forehead. "And that master is… I'm getting A… R… L, no T. Is it… Arthur?"

Merlin smiled, wiping away his tears. "He is my master. And an overbearing prat of a master too!"

Shawn snorted, opening his eyes. "That's all I've got. How did you get to this time, anyways? Reincarnation or something like in Avalon High?"

"Huh?" Merlin asked, confused again.

"Sorry," Shawn laughed, "I forgot, you guys don't _have_ TV!"

At Merlin's even more confused expression, he muttered, "Just forget it."

Merlin shrugged it off. "Well, as for your question, I got here using a spell that takes you through time and space-"

Shawn gasped. "Awesome! Take me to see some dinosaurs- now!"

Merlin frowned. "Why does everyone want to see dinosaurs? If I had that much control over the spell, I'd go home. I only have it mastered well enough to travel to a random place not a specific one. I'm still learning, you know."

Shawn returned his frown. "Okay. Four questions. One: Who wouldn't want to see dinosaurs?! Two: Why did you leave home? Three: If your powers are supposed to be kind of amazing, how are you 'still learning?' And four: Dude, why are you learning magic in the first place if they'll execute you for using it?!"

Merlin sighed. "Okay. First of all, you wouldn't want to see dinosaurs either if you lived in a land where you're forced to talk to irritating dragons all the time. Second of all, I may have an incredible destiny, but that doesn't mean that I'm all knowledgeable, nor does it imply that I've reached my peak power. And as for learning magic in the first place? It wasn't exactly my choice. I was born with it."

Shawn nodded slowly. "Point taken. But you still haven't told me why you left your time."

Merlin shrugged sadly. "That's a really long story."

Shawn shrugged. "I've got time. It's nice to be able to keep a key witness away from Lassie for so long, at any rate."

"Who's Lassie?" Merlin asked.

Shawn shrugged. "Big shot head detective."

Merlin looked puzzled.

"Sorry," Shawn said, "Ummm… highest ranking knight in police?"

Merlin blushed. "Sorry, I'm still getting the hang of all this…"

Shawn shook his head. "I get it."

Merlin looked at him, "Why do you want to keep a witness away from him then, if he's the… head detective?"

Shawn shrugged, "He's Lassiter; it's kind of what I do."

Merlin looked briefly puzzled, but didn't ask. "Well, I can try to explain why I left, but honestly, it spans years. I was given this stupid destiny years ago that required me to protect Arthur so that he can become this great king and unite the land of Albion. I became his servant, although how is another story, and was immediately thrust into this existence of constantly fighting some creature or person with magic in order to save his life. Unfortunately, magic is illegal, so I couldn't tell him or he'd kill me. So, I just worked my butt off with no thanks from the dollophead for either the chores I did as a servant, or the life- saving I did as a sorcerer. And you weren't that far off with your vision about him bullying me either- he is always messing with me, and although it's all in fun, horseplay, he calls it, it really does hurt when he hits me or throws things at me or…"

"Sounds like a real jerk," Shawn snorted, "Is that why you left?"

Merlin sighed. "He's not actually that bad- he's my friend, and he's actually pretty loyal, with a good heart, he can just be so… arrogant. And such a prat! But, no, that's not entirely why I left."

"Why then?" Shawn asked.

Merlin shrugged. "Lots of reasons. There was a dragon constantly insulting me and telling me I was a failure, Gaius always had me doing something whenever I had free-time off…" then the sorcerer averted his eyes. "Okay, fine. I wasn't that upset by all that. The truth is… the dragon was right. I _am_ a failure and it's my fault my mother is dead.I guess I just wanted to escape all that."

Shawn was silent. Then, finally, "If you don't mind my asking, how did she die?"

Merlin didn't look at him. "Murdered."

Shawn winced. "But not by _you_, right?"

Merlin looked alarmed. "Why would you even _suggest_ that?!"

"Well, you said it was your fault!" Shawn cried, secretly relieved. He liked this guy and was glad he wasn't a killer.

"It was my enemy, Morgana, and the baby dragon Aithusa." Merlin said quietly.

"Then how is that _your_ fault?" Shawn asked.

"I'm a dragonlord," Merlin whispered, "I could've stopped them… And Arthur was trying to tell me we needed to go to Ealdor, I just wouldn't listen and…" He started to cry again.

Shawn sighed. This dude cried way too often! "What is a dragonlord and what is an Ealdor?"

"Ealdor is the village I grew up in," Merlin sniffed, "and a dragonlord is someone with a special kinship to dragons, who can order them around if he speaks in their language."

Shawn looked surprised. "Whoa, you're a sorcerer and a dragonlord? That's so-!" Then, noticing his expression, he coughed. "That must be hard. I, uh, assume that's illegal too?"

Merlin nodded.

Shawn took a deep breath. "Okay, well, that _doesn't_ sound like it's 'your fault,' it sounds like you take way too much responsibility upon yourself. You can't be everywhere!"

Merlin smiled slightly, "Thanks."

Shawn shrugged. "But Merlin, uh, just so you know, my psychicness is NOT illegal, in fact, I try to make it really obvious, okay?"

Merlin looked at him. "Huh? Why would you-"

Shawn shook his head. "Never mind. Just… Please, don't use magic, or talk to dragons here. It's _not_ illegal, but it'll scare people, and people don't react well when scared."

Merlin nodded. "No difference then but-"

"SPENCER!" came a cry, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY WITNESS?!"

Shawn winked. "There's Lassie. Compose yourself, or he'll accuse you of attempted murder and shoot you!"

Merlin looked alarmed and leapt to his feet. "What?! I didn't even see any bows and arrows-"

Shawn face-palmed. "Okay, I was kidding! And nowadays there's this thing that shoots and kills people called a gun-"

Lassiter walked over and Shawn shut up, not wanting to arouse suspicion of his new friend.

"Head detective Carlton Lassiter," he told Merlin, who looked very worried about being discovered, "SBPD."

"I'm Merlin," Merlin said quietly.

Lassiter frowned. "Now is not the time for jokes young man. I carry a gun, and I will use it if you won't answer straight-"

Merlin looked scared. "But I-"

"My senses are detecting he's dead serious Lassie," Shawn interrupted, "And the spirits say to shut up and leave him alone."

Lassiter frowned. "I am busy interrogating a witness Spencer," he growled, "so if you wouldn't mind taking your senses and spirits elsewhere…"

Shawn crossed his arms and smirked. "I _do_ mind. You hired me on behalf of the department, remember? I'm here on a case!" He _was_ up to his old rivalry with Lassie again, but it was more than that this time. Shawn hated to admit it, but a wizard lost in time was a… (Dare he say serious?) problem. He was worried about poor Merlin, and didn't want to leave him lost, petrified, and confused with Lassiter, who was easily the scariest person on the force for a magic using time-traveler to face. Shawn could just see Merlin breaking down under the pressure of Lassie's questioning. Lassiter, of course, would see that as a sign of guilt and poor Merlin would be even more trapped than before: In jail. Shawn could not let that happen to his new friend. As immature as he was, Shawn still had a heart, after all.

Lassiter rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just don't interfere, Spencer, this is my investigation!"

"I guess we're doomed then," Shawn snorted.

Gus approached them. "How'd it go?" he mouthed, nodding towards Merlin.

Shawn gave him a thumbs-up.

Gus looked relieved. "I didn't find _anything!_" he whispered, "I mean, this isn't even the crime scene.

"Well,_ I_ certainly found _something_." Shawn assured him, "And that'll be next. That guy's still unconscious, right?"

Gus looked surprised. "You haven't heard? He got away. Slipped by the cops like a snake."

Shawn frowned thoughtfully, and then turned to observe Lassie's interrogation of Merlin.

"Penelope Lee says that you were the one who rescued her?" Lassie asked.

"Yeah, I guess I was," Merlin said quietly, a guarded expression on his face.

Shawn was stricken by how reserved he was, how careful when he answered any question, no matter how simple. He realized how painful it must have been for Merlin to be forced into constant hiding, constant lies. Shawn had to cover up only a single lie about himself, but Merlin effectively had to remove a tremendous chunk of who he was and bury it so deeply inside that it could never be found. He had to live his whole life in constant fear of being discovered and slaughtered, like a rabbit stalked by a determined fox. It disturbed Shawn. He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.

Lassiter nodded but then, looking uncomfortable and more than a little skeptical, he asked the question all three were dreading: "How?"

Merlin's eyes grew wide, showing Shawn that he clearly lacked a cover story. He fiddled uncomfortably with his neckerchief and opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again. "The tavern?" he cried desperately.

"_What?!_" Lassiter, Shawn, and Gus all asked together.

Shawn face-palmed in exasperation. Obviously, Merlin had not been thinking clearly enough in his panic to find a plausible cover and had just grabbed some random excuse.

Then, Shawn looked up. "He used magic Lassiter. Didn't you hear the witness?"

Merlin looked at him in horror at his betrayal, wide-eyed and hands held palms up at his sides preparing to defend himself with his powers.

Lassiter rolled his eyes. "Spencer, there is no such thing as magic! It's more unlikely than psychics!"

Merlin exhaled, but glared at Shawn, who shrugged innocently. He'd known what Lassiter would do. He was in no way wrong.

"Okay, fine," Shawn said slowly, "It only looked like magic, because Merlin has super awesome ninja skills! Like me when I do karate!"

"That's Wu-Shoo Shawn," Gus told him, "And if he was anything like you they'd both be dead!"

"You're just jealous," Shawn chuckled, "Because you don't have my mad skills!"

Gus rolled his eyes. "You took three lessons, Shawn!"

Merlin looked confused, but faintly amused.

"Shawn's right," he interrupted, "It looked like I used magic, but I really just pushed the guy," he paused, "Weird angle and all… After all, Detective Lassiter-"

"Lassie," Shawn corrected him with a smirk.

"NO." Lassie said firmly. "You should be glad that your friend here is so much more polite. He could teach you some manners!"

Merlin and Shawn both snorted at that ridiculous notion. Shawn could not imagine anyone getting a message like that across to him.

Lassiter shook his head. "Never mind. Enough from you, Spencer. Now, Mr.… Merlin, what _is_ your last name?"

Merlin looked at Shawn slowly and said nothing, stuck.

Clearly, Merlin's status was not high enough where he came from to have a last name. But he had to have one here.

"Yes, what is it Merlin?" Shawn asked loudly to tip him off, "Because it'd be weird if you didn't have one…"

Merlin jumped. "I… uh… Emrys?" He looked at Shawn for approval, who shrugged. "Um, yes. My name is Merlin Emrys." He smiled a nervous little smile.

"Okaaaay then." Lassie replied, confused by the amount of time it'd taken him to answer. He turned to Shawn. "Is this guy sane?" he whispered.

Shawn gave him an overly offended gasp. "Of course! He's just not from here. He is having some difficulties with the language barrier."

"Oh really?" Lassiter asked suspiciously, "Where's he from?"

Shawn blurted out the first place that came to mind. "England! Um, yup. He's from England. Right Merlin?"

"Er… right." Merlin replied quickly.

Gus frowned at them. "But people from England speak English, Shawn!"

Shawn swore mentally. Whose side was Gus on, anyways?

"Yes…" he said slowly, "But the accents, guys, the accents! He can't understand your thick American accents."

Gus and Lassie gave Merlin a funny look.

"Yes," Merlin commented defensively, "They're _very_ confusing."

"I didn't know there were problems with that," Lassie mumbled. "I should apologize, Emrys."

Merlin nodded. "Thank you. It can be so hard to be understood in this place!"

"Okay, moving on." Lassie began, "Can you give me a description of the criminal?"

Merlin thought for a minute. "Tall, pale, dark hair, dark clothing. Brown eyes. "

_At least _that_ wasn't utterly useless. _Shawn thought.

"Well, I think that'll be about all, Emrys. I see no reason to suspect you, so unless you want to help out on the case with your mad ninja skills…" Lassie snorted at his own wit.

But that gave Shawn an idea. "Why don't you help, Merlin? You could be useful solving the case."

Lassiter turned seriously towards him. "That was a joke, Spencer," he warned.

"Oh, Lassie," Shawn laughed, putting his arm around the taller man's shoulder, who quickly shrugged it off, "I don't think it was."

"Yes," Lassiter replied in a very annoyed voice, "It was, actually."

"Hey, Merlin, joke or not, he technically invited you to be a consultant, so, if you want to help us protect the streets of Santa Barbara…" Shawn smirked at Lassiter's infuriated expression.

"Absolutely not." Lassiter growled.

"I'd have to agree. Shawn, we work alone," Gus reminded him.

"And this is different." Shawn replied simply, "We're just letting the English fellow in on this one case Gus, once, and then it's just you, me, and all the pineapple and donuts we can eat for the rest of eternity. What do you say?" He held out a fist for a fist bump.

Gus stared at it. "I don't know Shawn…"

"Gus!" Shawn shouted, "Don't be a one-in a-billion Halloween lobster!" He turned to the young man awkwardly standing and watching them. "Merlin, you're hired!"

Merlin looked surprised. "I'm not quite sure I understand what I'm being hired for, Shawn…"

Shawn grinned and moved his fist over to be in front of Merlin with an immature "zoom" sound-effect before remembering that Merlin came from a time before fist bumps and trying to casually drop his fist back to his side. "Only a partnership on a case with the best detective agency in the world!" he enthused. "You're going to help us put that criminal behind bars!"

Merlin smiled. "Well, Shawn, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's rooting out criminals. Count me in! He'll be in the dungeons before you know it!"

Lassiter rolled his eyes and laughed sarcastically, "Dungeons? Really? I can see why you'd want to work with him Spencer. His maturity and wit about matches your own!"

Shawn laughed at Merlin's bewildered expression. _What did I say?_ He seemed to wonder, turning a little bit pink.

"Tell you later," Shawn mouthed to the mortified young warlock.

Juliet ran up to them. "Carlton, I think we're about done here, let's return to the department."

He nodded, "All right, time for some research. Let's go!"

Shawn gasped, suddenly realizing a gaping hole in his clever plan to cover up Merlin's magic. "Uh… WAIT! Lassie, Jules! Stop!"

The two turned to him, "Yes Shawn?" Juliet asked.

He looked up at them and put his hands to his head in classic psychic position. "I'm sensing that looking Merlin up will be useless… I'm seeing, I'm seeing…. A terrible accident that destroyed his records…"

"What kind of accident?" Gus asked suspiciously.

Shawn glared at him, annoyed to lose the dramatic effect he'd worked so hard at perfecting for his visions. "I don't _know_, Gus, that's all I saw."

Gus continued giving him a suspicious look. "Right…"

Merlin looked away, embarrassed to be causing so much trouble.

Lassie looked at Jules, who shrugged. "Okay, we'll just be going now."

"Kay! Bye!" Shawn yelled after them, "See ya later Jules!"

Juliet waved at him and Lassiter rolled his eyes. "Come on, O'Hara."

When they were gone, Merlin looked up at Shawn. "What now?"

"Now…" Shawn replied, pausing for dramatic effect, "We investigate! To the Blueberry!"

Merlin looked puzzled. "We're investigating… fruit?"

Gus snorted, "The Blueberry is my car."

Merlin opened his mouth to ask, no doubt, what a car was, but Shawn shook his head. "Not now," he mouthed, "Just go with it."

Merlin nodded.

"Ready. Set. Wait for iiiiiiiiiit….. GO!" Shawn and Gus ran out of the coffee shop in a most undignified manner, racing each-other to the blue echo in the parking lot. Merlin stumbled along behind, about as graceful as a water buffalo. Shawn shook his head. How could someone with such powerful magic trip so much? Shawn pulled ahead by a nose and was the first to tap the blueberry.

"YES! VICTORY IS MINE!" he cackled as Merlin walked up to the car and stood awkwardly next to it, uncertain of what to do. Gus gave Merlin a funny look.

"Aren't you going to get in?" he asked.

Shawn perked up immediately. "I call shotgun!"

Merlin just looked more confused than ever.

Shawn made an obvious point of getting into the front seat first. "Let's go guys!"

Gus got in next, followed by Merlin who sat in the back, looking relieved to have figured the thing out without serious difficulty.

Gus nodded. "To the crime scene!"


	4. Chapter 4- The Trail of the Criminal

**Hi guys, it's MerlinPsych! This chapter is going to be cut a bit short so I have more time to make the rest of the investigation of this crime better! I really hope you like it, though! It was kind of fun to write. :) I'm having a good time trying to set the basis for Merlin and Shawn's friendship, which I think could have potential to be very cute, don't you? ;) If I can write it well enough... Well, yeah. Please tell me what you think! I'd love your feedback!**

Merlin was fascinated by the blueberry. He'd never seen a car before, and although he realized that it wasn't powered by anything of the like, the advanced technology was a mysterious magic to him.

He looked around as they drove, taking everything in, and marveling at every detail. It was so different from riding a horse! In the least, it was certainly more comfortable. He found it odd to not feel the wind on his face while he rode, to be in what was essentially (as far as he saw) a small rolling room. He stared in amazement at everything and anything: the wheel Gus turned to turn the car, the pedals he pressed with his feet to make it stop or go, the vents in the front cool air rushed through…

Then, Merlin noticed Shawn watching him gawking around with a bit of a smirk on his face. He blushed in embarrassment, closed his mouth, and turned away, hearing Shawn snickering quietly behind him.

Merlin felt a wave of despair overtake him again. He hated feeling so helpless, like such an idiot. In Camelot, he had been at least borderline genius, even if Arthur continued to call him an "idiot." Perhaps he appeared to be an oblivious and simple-minded servant, but Merlin was indeed quite wise. He didn't simply understand things, his magic allowed him to see things on a deeper level, to feel the life energy pulsate in every vein of every leaf of every tree. Here, he really _was_ an idiot. He didn't know _anything_, even less than a two-year-old would. He was constantly making a fool of himself, without even realizing it, and without Arthur… The dragon had been right. They were two sides of the same coin, and he was lost without him.

Merlin bit his lip, attempting not to tear up. He could just hear Arthur's voice in his head: _"Don't be such a girl Merlin!"_ But, then again, Arthur had never been lost alone in the future with no foreseeable way to return, even with a psychic around.

Both men in the front of the car turned around to look back and saw him sniffling and wiping tears out of his eyes, again. Shawn had a pitying look on his face, but Gus simply looked confused.

"Hey… Merlin? What's up?" he asked, looking slightly uncomfortable.

Merlin turned quickly away. "Nothing but the sky," he muttered.

"That's _not_ nothing, Merlin," Gus replied stubbornly, and Merlin was reminded painfully of Arthur. "I'm a sympathetic crier and I'm tearing up. You're one of us for now, so what's wrong?"

Merlin sighed. "I'm just a little homesick, I guess."

At least it wasn't a lie, not really.

"For England?" Gus asked.

Merlin had to take a second to realize that, yes, that was where he was supposedly from. He nodded.

Gus turned back to the road. "Well, you'd better compose yourself, we're almost there."

Merlin sniffed, wiping his nose. He really didn't want to go meet _more_ people right now.

Then, Shawn raised a hand up towards his face and drew it into an exaggerated frown.

Merlin laughed, unable to help himself, and Shawn grinned. Merlin was reminded a little bit of Gwaine. He could see Gwaine and Shawn being friends. Merlin, at least, found that he wanted to be friends with Shawn. He admired the man's cheerful and optimistic attitude and wished he could be more like that. It was stressful to worry all the time like he had been of late, be it about Mordred, or Morgana, or Uther's ghost, or some other random threat to Arthur. Destiny was a pain. That aside, though, Merlin was excited that Shawn was a psychic, which was practically sorcery. He didn't meet a lot of sorcerers who didn't want to kill him, Arthur, or both, but there was always a certain kinship with those that he did meet. But… could he trust Shawn? He was so open about his powers and with total strangers too! He actually _flaunted_ his abilities. Perhaps he could psychically detect an untrustworthy foe? Merlin couldn't be sure, the closest thing to a psychic friend he'd ever had was Morgana, who was a seer… But she was so evil now. Perhaps it was best not to think about her. Even after all those years, Merlin was still bitter regarding how she'd changed and betrayed them all.

Shawn had insisted, though, that his powers weren't illegal. He actually wanted to show them off. But… why? What if Shawn ended up dissected? There was something he wasn't telling Merlin…

He stared at the back of Shawn's head, but it gave no answers. Then, suddenly, the Blueberry stopped.

"We're here," Gus said, turning around, "You alright now, Merlin?"

The young warlock nodded, brushing his pale fingers nervously through his raven hair. "Let's go."

He opened the door and stumbled pathetically at the edge of the car, barely catching his fall on the way out.

Shawn climbed out next, and slid across the hood of the car to stand beside him, laughing. "Testing gravity, Merlin?"

Merlin raised his eyebrows mischievously at him and grinned. "Would you like me to magic it away?" he whispered teasingly.

Shawn grinned. "Can you _do _that?! Oh, god yes!"

Merlin shook his head, quickly. "Just kidding, I won't do that, I promise!"

"But, could you?" Shawn asked.

Merlin shrugged. "In theory, I suppose, but I don't know any zero gravity spells."

Shawn looked disappointed. "Oh…"

However, he was quickly distracted from that thought when Gus yelled out at him. "Shawn! Come on! We have a crime to investigate!"

The crime scene wasn't much. It wasn't as if it was the scene of an actual murder. The only real evidence lay where Merlin had thrown the criminal with his magic, in a few splatters of blood.

"What are we supposed to do, Shawn?" Gus asked, "I can't see _any_ possible clues."

"He could ask the spirits where the man went," Merlin suggested, hopefully.

Shawn looked at him in exasperation. "Merlin, don't be a molten hot chocolate lava cake. That's not how these things work! I can't simply have a vision whenever I want, they must _come_ to me!"

Merlin shrugged. "I guess that makes sense… Shall we go look around then?"

"I suppose standing here won't help," Shawn admitted, "And I'll tell you if I do see anything, okay?"

Merlin nodded and headed off towards the patch of grass by the bench where he'd thrown the dark-hooded criminal. (Why was it that everyone who wore a hood or cloak always turned out to be evil? Perhaps because they felt they were less visible when their hair was covered?)

With that thought, Merlin shook his head and began the search for clues.

It was different than his usual investigations, where his suspects were usually Arthur's trusted guests in Camelot. Normally, Merlin just stalked people he was suspicious of and went through their rooms. Now, he needed to find something a little less obvious. He had no clue what that could be.

There_ was_ the blood, but that had already been noted, and wasn't much more help.

Merlin peered around, but didn't see much. He stood up and checked to see how the members of Psych were faring.

Shawn was frowning at lots of things, but he wasn't getting excited, and Gus scowled at the ground, grumbling at him. "Give up… There's nothing, Shawn..." Merlin heard him say.

Shawn shoved Gus playfully and he fell over from his kneeling position onto the ground, releasing a puff of dust and letting out an annoyed shout, before getting up. He left a slight imprint in the soft ground behind him.

That gave Merlin an idea. He began searching for any footprints that the man could have left behind.

Gus and Shawn shoved each-other behind him, still not willing to let it go and get back to work.

A car rushed by the crime scene, and Merlin coughed as dust flew through the air.

He crouched back down to continue his search, but then realized the obvious: The tracks were gone already, covered up by the dust kicked up by passing cars.

So much for Merlin's plan. He sat down heavily, disappointed.

The other two walked towards him. "Find anything?" Shawn asked.

Merlin shrugged. "No, I'm afraid not. You guys?"

They both shook their heads. "Nothing," Gus sighed.

They all looked down, disappointed.

"How is this happening to me?!" Shawn cried, "I can _always_ find_ something!"_

Suddenly, Merlin's eyes lit up. "What was that?!" he shouted pointing over Shawn and Gus' shoulders.

The two whipped around to look and Merlin's eyes lit up a liquid golden color. "Cume wind áberan swæþ!" he whispered, and suddenly a layer of dust was blown off the ground towards the road and a smattering of footprints lay before him.

Merlin smiled. Crazy as it was, he loved magic.

Gus and Shawn turned around to look back at him, confused. "I didn't see anything," Gus grumbled.

Merlin shrugged, "Must have been my imagination," then, after a pause, "Hey, look, are those that guy's footprints?" he asked, pointing to them.

The two looked surprised. "Hey, those were right there the whole time? I was looking everywhere for them!" Shawn cried indignantly, but he looking excited.

Merlin nodded. "Um… yeah. I guess they were."

"Nice catch, Merlin!" Shawn praised him.

"Thanks," Merlin replied, "But it wasn't that big of a deal. They're just… you know, footprints."

"They're a trail." Shawn replied, and with that they set off following the footprints.

**Well, that's it for this chapter! How did you like it? The spell is Old English because I decided to be a bit more profesional for once and dispense with my usual "Word+io" spells, and other such enchantments. (Oreo, Sparklio, Bootah, Dissapre... I know, VERY creative. *snorts*) Anyways, the translation is roughly "Come wind, reveal footprints!" More of the investigations will be in the next chapter, and I hope to get to more of the character relationships too, in later chapters! **

**Thanks for reading, **

**-MerlinPsych :P**


	5. Chapter 5- An Infestation of Woodworms

The footprints led to a fancy hotel that seemed to glow white, surrounded by fountains, a gigantic pool with a diving board, several slides, and a waterfall, a golf course, and some classy gazebos set in a perfect circle around a sparkling lake.

"Wow," was all Gus could say to the impressive sight.

"I could live here!" Shawn laughed.

Merlin just stared. "It's… like a castle," he gasped. Although his friend had never seen such amenities as swimming pools or golf courses, Shawn could tell he understood how upscale a place like that had to be.

"Well, this was unexpected," Gus commented, "Did anyone else expect to end up at a trailer park?"

"Dude," Shawn cried, "Does the guy live here?!"

The other two shrugged. Merlin looked rather excited, however. "I hope so," he told them, "Maybe we can actually find some decent clues here!"

"Like those footprints weren't decent! They were perfect! Even visible where they shouldn't have been, like on the road!" Gus enthused.

Merlin looked pleased with the praise for his find, but more than a little uncomfortable. In fact, he almost appeared… worried.

Shawn frowned suspiciously. Was he that new to being acknowledged for his contributions, or was he hiding something? Knowing Merlin, it was probably both. He shrugged it off.

"Well, shall we check it out then?" Shawn asked.

The other two nodded enthusiastically, pleased to finally have a lead.

Then, suddenly, they stopped. Gus was the first to voice everyone's thoughts. "Umm… Check what out? We don't even have a name."

Merlin smiled. "No, but we have a trail."

Indeed, if one squinted they could make out dusty footprints heading into the hotel, and there were small spatters of blood here and there as well, from when the wound the criminal had sustained when he had knocked his head on a rock where Merlin had thrown him.

Shawn snorted. "Well that was easy."

The three entered the hotel, where they were stopped at the front desk.

"Are you checking in?" asked a snooty looking man.

Shawn laughed. "Yeah right!"

"Well then why should I let you through?" the man asked, looking irritated.

Merlin crouched down beside a potted plant and knocked gently on it. "OH MY GOSH!" he cried.

The man stood up incredibly straight and tall. "What? What is it?!"

Merlin's eyes grew wide. "My, my! I must say, you have quite the infestation of woodworms!"

The man looked shocked. "And who are you?"

"The plant inspector." Merlin said matter-of-factly.

Shawn was surprised. He'd used a similar excuse in previous investigations.

"That's right," he said, in a voice equally snooty to the front deskman's. "We are the plant inspectors. Now if you do not get out of our way, this woodworm will surely eat through everything of wood or paper in your hotel! Now if you will excuse us!"

The man looked terrified and astonished as the three pushed by him, looking important.

As soon as the ruse was up, and they were out of earshot, all three started laughing, quietly of course, so as not to be noticed.

"Did you see the look on his face?!" Merlin giggled.

"Oh my gosh yes!" Shawn snorted. "I think he might be standing on his little chair!"

They all straightened up and looked over their shoulders to see that the man was, indeed, cowering hunched over on his chair, avoiding contact with anything wooden or paper.

Now they couldn't help it, they were laughing so loudly that the whole lobby turned to look at them.

Then, Gus grew silent. "Um, you guys, we've been caught."

The other two looked up and noticed the man on his phone.

"Security!" called his nasally voice.

The three detectives ran for it, following the trail all the way up to the criminal's  
room.

**Sorry it's been so long, I've been a little busy. This is a short chapter, but I'll try to get more in soon! (Except finals are coming up... *nervous laugh*) I've never pulled off a good mystery story before... So I'll take it slow, and if any of you guys have feedback or ideas I'd be glad to have them. Thank you so much for reading and especially thanks to my awesome reviewers. Love you all! :)**


	6. Chapter 6- Seriously Dark Jujumagumbo

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry I've been gone for so long, I was kind of in trouble and I got banned from this site... But I'm back now! So I have a lot of updating to catch up on. ;) I hope this chapter is as exciting as I was attempting at heading towards, despite being short, but I thought you deserved an update for your patience. Thank you all for reading, especially those of you who followed, favorited, or reviewed! I really appreciate your feedback and support, and I am always uber excited to get any sort of feedback on my writing. So thanks! :D

* * *

"What now?" Gus panted, standing at the door, "How do we open it?"  
Shawn grinned, "I've got this!" He ran at the solid oak barrier, presumably to break it down.

"Shawn!" Gus shouted, shaking his head.

Merlin sighed, whispering a spell to aid in his attempt.

The door snapped open.

"Whaaat!" Shawn laughed, "Who's the coolest?!"

Gus and Merlin rolled their eyes. "Let's go in," Merlin suggested, leading the way.

When he got inside, his voice drifted back towards the others. "Oh! Uh oh… Guys…? You may want to see this…"

Shawn and Gus exchanged a glance and ran into the room. "Merlin?"

Merlin was on the floor, next to a man lying face-up on the floor, taking his pulse. Looking up, distressed, he turned to the others. "I…I think he's dead!"

Shawn just stared at him, just as shocked as ever. Gus was turning a little green.

"Sorry," Gus muttered, "I just…" then he ran, screaming from the room.

Shawn looked gravely at Merlin. "This attempted murder just became a full-scale homicide…"

Merlin shook his head, sadly. "No matter what time you're in, there are so many evils in the world…"

Shawn nodded. "But… look in his pockets! I'm getting…There's more information about who he is in his pockets!"

Merlin nodded, and reached in, pulling out a key. "This was his room… Which can only mean one of two things: Either this man was friends with our murderer, or this was never our murderer's room."

Shawn looked quickly about.

"This wasn't his room," he said suddenly, and then, rolling his eyes and shaking his head, he ran after his other friend. "GUS! GUS COME BACK HERE! GUS!"

Merlin, however, stood there quietly, frowning. Odd… none of the magical footprints lead out of the room!

Oh.

Of course.

He turned slowly around. "You never left…" he whispered, looking at the black-clad figure.


	7. Chapter 7- The Missing Manservant

A/N: Alright, and on that disturbing note...Back to Camelot! :D (I know, I'm evil...) Well, anyway, I hope you like this chapter! As suggested by StarburstAwesomeness, I decided to give you guys a small glimpse of how Merlin's friends are doing...

Thank you all for reading and reviewing! I can't believe this has over a thousand views! :O And your reviews seriously make my day. I'm glad you're liking it! More feedback is always appreciated, no matter how short. ;)

-MerlinPsych

* * *

_Meanwhile, in Camelot…_

Arthur approached Gaius' chambers, feeling that same worried ache in his chest he'd been feeling for days now. He knew that he really shouldn't bother checking for Merlin. It was ridiculous to get his hopes up. Merlin had been missing for days. Still though, the hope was there, flickering in vain like a lit candle on a small rock in the middle of the sea.

_Maybe he just needed some time to cool off… After all, it was his mother… Surely, he'll be back by now? _Arthur thought anxiously.

He cracked open the door without knocking, and Gaius stood waiting for him.

Alone.

"Still not back then?" Arthur asked, disappointed.

"I'm afraid Merlin is still missing, sire," Gaius confirmed.

Arthur sat down heavily at their table, feeling the worry only grow. _Where is he?_

"Well, he'd better get back soon," Arthur told Gaius, in a futile attempt to remain composed. "My chambers are a wreck. I need a servant."

Gaius was used to Arthur and his problems with emotional expression, so he was unfazed by the comment others may have thought heartless. "It _was_ his mother, sire."

"I know," Arthur sighed, "But…"

"But what?"

"He has seemed a little off for quite some time," Arthur sighed, "Maybe I could have… Maybe I should have…"

"This isn't your fault, sire," Gaius replied, seriously, "Merlin has always just had a bit too much resting on his shoulders for one so young, I'm afraid."

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, concerned. "Did my teasing actually hurt him? Is that it? Did _I _drive him off?"

"Not at all. It's just… Hunith wasn't the only person Merlin has lost of late, I'm afraid." Gaius sighed.

"… You mean Will?" Arthur asked, "The sorcerer?"

"One of many, yes," Gaius said, betraying nothing.

"Lancelot…" Arthur sighed, "Him too. He was Merlin's friend. But that's still not it, is it?"

"Those are not the only deaths, and it is not only death which plagues him," Gaius replied, ever vague.

"What then?" Arthur asked, frustrated.

"Just… responsibilities, the whole thing with Morgana… It's been a hard few years for him, I'm afraid…" Gaius sighed.

"For all of us," Arthur pointed out, and then, after a brief pause, "Do you think he'll come back?"

Gaius looked disturbed. "I know not, sire."

Arthur was quiet for a minute. "Do you think he's okay?" he fretted.

Gaius just shook his head. "I don't know what he may have done. Merlin's mind is sometimes a mystery, even to me."

Arthur felt his stomach drop. If that idiot had gone and gotten himself killed…

"I'm tripling the search parties," Arthur muttered, and with that turned and left.


	8. Chapter 8- More Cloaks of Evil

A/N: Thank you all for reading and for all of your wonderful feedback! Are you ready to see what's going to happen to poor Merlin? Well then, I'll stop wasting your time! Please tell me what you think! ;D Sorry it's so short, I'll try to post more soon!

* * *

Merlin stared in disbelief at the form of the murderer, letting out an almost indiscernible squeak of fear. "D-don't come any closer," he warned, holding out one hand defensively, "I'm warning you!"

The killer ignored him, coming forward, and drawing a gun out of his cloak.

Merlin let out a little gasp. Remembering Shawn's description of the weapon, he felt his body ice over in fear. If guns were all Shawn claimed, they could work as well as magic! They were evenly matched, then, something he'd rarely had to concern himself with in the past.

"I-I know what you did…" he whispered, nervously, "You're in big trouble already… Don't make things worse…"

The figure's black, light fabric mask twitched up in a cruel smile, and slowly the thing shook its head.

"P-please… I can't die here!" Merlin cried, voice rising with the panic at the sudden realization. "I'm not from here! You _can't! _Don't you get it?! If I die here, it will create a paradox! You'll change history! Life as you know it will cease to exist!"

_What have I done?! _He wondered miserably to himself, knowing full well that in the murderer's eyes he was talking nonsense.

However, it did give the figure pause, as it cocked its head in confusion.

"And if I go down," Merlin said in a dangerously quiet voice, "You are going down with me. Believe me, you have no idea who you're dealing with."

The thing froze, and then suddenly emitted a strange and horrible sound as it began to shake violently.

Merlin stared at the figure in alarm, uncertain what was going on, and then, suddenly, as it bent over clutching its stomach he came to the realization that it was _laughing._ The thing was laughing at him!

"I-I mean it…" Merlin cried, blushing furiously. "I could take you down in less than one blow!"

The thing only laughed harder, as Merlin watched in disbelief.

_Do I really look _that _ridiculous?!_

Merlin glared at it in fury. "You have no right to laugh! I know this place has its own law systems on how to punish its criminals, but if you press me…"

The figure cocked its gun and raised it to Merlin's head.

_What do I do _now?! _I don't know anything about these "guns"! I can't exactly figure out how to stop this guy… !_

"No." he whispered, eyes wide in horror, "No. No, no, no, no… This cannot be happening! I still need to go back! Morgana's still out there! Arthur _needs_ me!"

The thing did not appear open to argument. It gave another sinister smile under its black fabric mask, and got ready to shoot…

"MERLIN!" Gus cried, seeing him through the doorway.

"Oh no," Shawn gasped, looking at his terrified face, "Merlin! You have _got_ to stop him! Use it! USE IT NOW! Come on; use that magic like you really have a beard!"

Gus frowned. "He doesn't really have magic, Shawn. That was all proven earlier, remember?"

Shawn ignored him. "Merlin! Now is not the time! You have to do something! Just… zap him or something!"

Merlin shook his head. "Shawn… I can't… It doesn't work like that! The murderer will have time to react!"

Shawn frowned, and then turned to the figure. "If you don't let my friend go, you'll have me and my mad karate skills to deal with!" With that he gave a kick in the air with pathetically bad form. "Hiyaaaah!"

To everyone's alarm, the murderer dropped his gun and ran for the window. In seconds he was gone.

Juliet lowered her gun. "Oh my god… Shawn, are you okay?!" she gasped.


End file.
